TAMPA, Fla. — A man who witnesses said was kicked out of a Tampa strip club drove his semi-truck cab into the building, killing one person and injuring two others, police said.
Officers responded around 4:19 a.m. Tuesday to the Emperors Gentleman Club, located at 5718 E. Adamo Drive, on a report of a truck that crashed into pedestrians, according to a Tampa Police Department news release.
Police said the truck struck the front area of the building, near its entrance. Witnesses claimed the driver, a 25-year-old man, was asked to leave the club after getting into a fight with another person inside the building.
He then reportedly returned to his semi-truck cab and drove it into a group of people.
One man died, and two other men were seriously injured, police said in a news release.
All three men were leaving the club with a group that included the person involved in the argument, but they were not part of the fight, TPD said.
The driver was taken to the hospital in critical condition.
In a press conference later in the afternoon, officials with TPD said they would be able to release the driver's name once he is processed and arrested.
They also noted that the driver is not from the Tampa Bay area.
"Part of the investigation is determining exactly what he was doing down here and the circumstances that led to this tragic event," Patrick Messmer, major of criminal investigations, said.
Messmer announced the driver is facing charges of first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, DUI manslaughter, vehicular homicide and two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury.
“This is an unbelievably tragic and completely avoidable incident," Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. "We will work to get justice for the victims and their families. We are thinking of all those impacted including the innocent bystanders who witnessed this horrific ordeal.”